NEW YORK–Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid was having another MVP-type performance on Sunday as the Sixers were in the middle of routing the Brooklyn Nets.
The big fella had 32 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and only one turnover to lead the Sixers to a 121-99 win over the Nets. He was flirting with a triple-double in the third quarter, but the reigning league MVP knows there are more important matters for him and the Sixers at the moment.
“I got told I was three assists away, but that’s not where my head was at,” Embiid said after the win. “We just try to play the right way. They just made it easy, honestly, because they kept doubling and when I’m in that mode, if you wanna double, we gotta make you pay.”
The Nets send a ton of double teams toward Embiid, as they should, but the big fella picked them apart. He was terrific all day long and he made sure the Sixers were in a position to succeed on the offensive end.
“You gotta go quick, or I find the open man, because someone is always gonna be open if they double, but that’s been the mindset all year really,” Embiid added. “You double, and I gotta make the right play and make them pay.”
Coach Nick Nurse and his staff have done a terrific job of putting Embiid in a position to succeed. They have been in the middle of studying film and learning more about the team as they look to get them in the right position to succeed.
“We learned a lot this week and these last couple of games as well,” Nurse explained. “Continue to see different ways that teams are defending him, and I’ve said a bunch, he wants to deliver to the open guy. The open guy’s got to make the right reads and the cuts and all that kind of stuff and free up either something heading towards the rim or pull behind 3-point shots.”
This progression from Embiid has been impressive and the Sixers have been able to benefit from his strong play on that end of the floor. His passing game has been terrific.
“So again, we’re just going to try to keep hitting the open guy,” Nurse added. “That’s kind of offense in this league. When they send two to your primary scorer, you gotta get things figured out, and we’re making some progress there.”
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